What Ididntknow was that it would make me hate some of my favorite perfumes.
At least, Ididuntil I started injecting myself with a semaglutide once a week, beginning in October 2024.
At first, I felt totally normal.
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It also messed with the way I smell perfumes.
Suddenly, anything that smelled remotely sweet or edible made me want to hurl.
But just thinking about these scents had my stomach churningevenwritingabout these scents makes me queasy.
Id hold my breath and wait as long as I could before inhaling.
(My son is four and I still cant eat fried chicken.)
Its hard when something you love suddenly turns on you!
But no one I surveyed had the same scent-related aversions as I did.
Thus, I went where curious folks often go: Reddit.
One user said fragrance had actually replaced emotional eating for them.
But neither directly addressed a link between GLP-1 drugs and an altered sense of smell.
Still, I needed to knowcould my GLP-1 medication have changed my olfactory processes?
The answer, according to some experts, is… maybe.
And there are a few potential reasons why.
He said no, not firsthand, though hehasheard of similar situations from others.
But because Im taking a GLP-1 medication, these signals mayemphasis on maybe disrupted.
Instead of getting the happy vibes from a vanilla scent, Im getting a big, giant NO.
The same goes for when you smell something you hate.
Then the brain decodes what its smelling, like Chanel No.
5 or a rotten egg, but the way you respond to a scent is totally unique.
It typically has to do with an association with memory, Dr. Matsunami explains.
When I smell them now, they just remind me of feeling sick.
(This region at the base of the brain also regulates things like breathing and heart rate.)
(Is this confirmation that Im a super-smeller and super-taster?)
Or, in my case, perfume.
warning not to spritz.
(My taste for basil came back, but thyme?
Keep it out of my food, c’mon.)
GLP-1 is another hormone, so therefore, there may be some similarities between pregnancy and this drug treatment.
But again, as Dr. Matsunami says, there are no studies proving this or comparing the two.
The Inconclusive Conclusion
Could some of my fragrance experience be in my head?
As Dr. Hamel says: Smell is one of the strongest forms of memory we have.
But if any scientists want to kickstart a study, you know where to find me.
Read more about GLP-1 drugs:
